Method for folding parachutes and product thereof



y 10, 1960 F. B. STENCEL 2,936,138

METHOD FOR FOLDING PARACHUTES AND PRODUCT THEREOF Filed April 30, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

FRED B. STENCEL F. B. STENCEL METHOD FOR FOLDING PARACHUTES AND PRODUCT THEREOF Filed April 30, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 RINGS OF SERIES 8 RINGS OF SERIES APEX OF PARACHUTE PERIPHERY 0|:

RINGS OF sEm PARACHUTE INVENTOR.

FRED B. STENCEL.

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y 10, 1960 F. B. STENCEL 2,936,138

METHOD FOR FOLDING PARACHUTES AND PRODUCT THEREOF Filed April 50, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 JNVENTOR.

FRED B, STENCEL ail g3.

United States Patent METHOD FOR FOLDING PARACHUTES AND PRODUCT THEREOF Fred B. Stencel, Asheville, N .C., assignor to Amcel Propulsion, Inc.

Application April 30, 1956, Serial No. 581,764 3 Claims. (Cl. 244-148) This invention relates to parachutes and more particularly to a novel and improved method for folding parachutes and to the product thereof.

Heretofore, parachutes have usually been packed by first folding the parachute along radial lines until the material of the parachute has been arranged into a generally triangular configuration, and then folding the triangle upon itself several times, starting with the apex. While such a folding method has been satisfactory with cenventionally used parachutes, it is not at all suitable for certain applications. In particular, it is not suitable for automatically deployed parachutes of the type described in my copending application Serial Number 581,535, filed concurrently herewith.

The primary object of the present invention is to devise an improved method for folding parachutes such that the folded or packed parachute will, in use, unfurl more readily and uniformly than has heretofore been the case.

Another object is to devise a method for folding parachutes such that less energy will be required to unfurl the parachute than is the case when parachutes are folded in the conventional manners.

A further object is to provide a parachute pack which may be substantially instantaneously deployed by means of projectiles secured to the suspension lines of the parachute, as fully explained in the aforesaid copending application.

in order that the invention may be understood in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a parachute to be folded in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, showing a portion of the parachute of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a digrarnmatic sectional view showing the parachute associated with a folding jig and in the process of being folded in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the parachute associated with the folding jig and in process of being folded, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the folded parachute.

In general, the present method is adapted to fold an nular areas of the parachute each into generally toroidal folds, so that the completed parachute pack comprises a series of these generally toroidal folds with the apex of the parachute at one end of the series and the periphery of the parachute at the other end. This is accomplished according to the present method by identifying on the parachute a plurality of radially spaced, circular lines concentric with the apex of the parachute, identifying on each of said lines a plurality of spaced points and folding the fabric of the parachute which lies between the apex and the innermost one of the circular lines into a generally toroidal fold by moving the points on said innermost line successively to the apex of the parachute in annular progression. That is, the material at each of said points is carried upwardly and inwardly until it overlies the apex of the parachute. This folding operation is then repeated successively with the fabric 2,936,138 Patented May 10, 1960 of the parachute between each adjacent pair of the circular lines, until the entire parachute is disposed in a series of generally toroidal folds arranged one on top of the other, with the apex of the parachute at the bottom of the series. r

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the parachute here illustrated comprises a plurality of gores 1 secured each to the other by radial seams 2, Fig. 2. A plurality of rings 3, Fig. 2, are secured to the parachute, as by being sewed at one point by their circumference to the parachute along the seams. As seen in Fig. 1, the rings are arranged in radially spaced, annular series disposed concentrically with the apex of the parachute, the various series lying at different distances from the apex containing the same number of rings.

To accomplish the folding operation, I employ a jig preferably constructed in accordance with Fig. 3. Here, it will be seen that the jig comprises a vertical rod 4 fined to a horizontal base 5'. The parachute shown in Fig. 1 is provided with an aperture at its apex, such aperture being capable of accommodating the rod 4. The first step in the folding operation is to spread the parachute over the base 5, with the rod 4 extending upwardly through the apex of the parachute, as seen in Figs. 3

and 4.

The first toroidal fold is now established by manipulating the innermost area of the parachute fabric, using the annular series of rings designated at A, Fig. 1. To

commence the operation, any one of the rings is lifted bodily and placed over the rod 4. The remaining rings .rings of series B. This second step establishes a toroidal fold consisting of the fabric of the parachute lying between ring series A and ring series B. The same folding operation is now carried out, using the ring series CG, in sequence.

This sequence of steps results in the parachute being folded into a series of generally toroidal folds, the generally toroidal folds being concentric and stacked one upon the other, the apex of the parachute being at one end of the stack and the periphery of the parachute being at the other end of the stack. Thus, the general configuration of the folded parachute is as diagrammatically illustrated in" Fig. 5.

The folding jig, comprising rod 4, is of course removed from the parachute, and it will be understood that the rings 3 remain generally in the center of the folded assembly. The parachute may be temporarily restrained in any suitable manner until ready for insertion in a conventional restraining enclosure, such as a canvas bag of the type disclosed in my copending application Serial Number 581,535.

Alternatively, the container or restraining means for the parachute may be applied to the folded assembly before the same is removed from rod 4.

Actual use of a parachute folded in the foregoing manner demonstrates that this method of folding makes possible deployment of the parachute with a minimum of energy. This is true because the parachute pack consists of a series of generally toroidal folds which, during deployment, unfurl in sequence. When one toroidal fold is unfurled, the next is entirely free to open. It is impossible for any folded portion of the folded parachute to interfere with the=movement of that portion of the parachute which is in the act of unfurling.

A particular advantage of this method lies in the fact that the parachute may be unfurled or deployed by forces acting upon the suspension lines of the parachute. In

this connection, it will be understood that the suspension lines are secured to the parachute at spaced-pointsalong the periphery of the parachute. Thus, a parachute folded projectiles or weights are fired radially outwardly of the parachute pack, each projectile or weight carrying asuspension lineof the parachute therewith. As the suspension lines are pulled outwardly, the generally toroidal folds of the parachute are promptly and easily unfurled in sequence.

' Each ring series AG comprises numerous individual rings spaced along the annular series, and since each fold is established solely by movement of these rings upwardly and inwardly until they lie at the apex of the parachute, it will be understood that the generally toroidal folds 6, Fig. 5, of the parachute pack are not precise or smooth in form. In fact, each fold is characterized by the presence of numerous secondary folds which are generally triangular in nature. However, the presence of such secondary folds does not in any way deter the prompt unfurling of the generally toroidal folded portions.

While the parachute has been referred to as made from a fabric it will be understood that this term is employed to embrace any of the flexible sheet materials employed in the manufacture of parachutes. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the concentric circular lines, and the annularly spaced points lying on such lines, are identified by the rings 3. It will be understood that rings 3 may be replaced by cloth tabs or other devices suitable for manipulation of the fabric of the parachute.

I claim:

1. The method for folding a parachute, comprising spreading the parachute so that the fabric thereof extends outwardly from the apex in flat condition substantially without folds, identifying on the parachute a plurality of radially spaced circular lines concentric with said apex,

identifying on each of said lines a plurality of spaced points, there being the same number of points on the.

various lines lying at different distances from the apex, moving said points on the innermost one of said lines successively in annular progression upwardly and inwardly to said apex and thereby folding into a generally toroidal fold the fabric of the'parachute between said apex and said innermost line, and repeating such folding operation with the fabric of the parachute between each adjacent pair of said circular lines in each case moving said points on the outer line of such pair successively in annular progression upwardly and inwardly to the axis of the parachute extending through said apex substantially at right angles to the plane of the flat, spreadout fabric, to obtain a folded parachute comprising a stack of concentric generally toroidal folds with the apex of the parachute at one end of the stack and the periphery of the parachute at the other end of the stack.

2. The method for folding a parachute having a plurality of rings attached thereto in radially spaced annular series concentric with the apex of the parachute, comprising positioning a rod at said apex, then sliding the rings of the innermost annular series sequentially over said rod with the rings taken in annular progression, then repeat ing such operation with the rings of each successive annular series, and finally removing the rod from the rings.

3. In combination, a parachute canopy provided with a' plurality of apertured fold-retaining elements disposed on the canopy to define a plurality of annular series radi ally spaced on the canopy about the apex of the canopy as a center, and a rod disposed to extend from the apex of the canopy, said fold-retaining elements removably embracing said rod seriatim beginning with the elements of the one of said annular series closest to said apex and ending with the elements of the one of said annular series most distant from said apex.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,295,968 Calthrop Mar. 4, 1919 1,330,274 Mott Feb. 10, 1920 2,723,095 Peterson et a1 Nov. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,745 France Jan. 30, 1930 165,810 Great Britain July 11, 1921 

